Taste of Pittsburgh

Pittsburghers celebrate their ethnic diversity and enjoy a "work hard-play hard" love of good food and drink rooted in that history. Cooking and sharing food with family and friends is a time-honored Pittsburgh tradition. From its early days, Pittsburgh has been a melting pot of ethnic diversity as immigrants came to the area in pursuit of their American dream. Early immigrants from England, Germany, Scotland, Ireland and Wales were soon followed by Italian, Polish, eastern European, African, Swedish, Spanish, Russian and Greek immigrants. More recent immigrants from the Middle East, Ethiopia, Asia, Vietnam, India and Pakistan have also arrived. Seeking comfort in familiar traditions, new residents often moved in to neighborhoods where others, who shared a similar language and culture, had already settled. Soon, the ethnic neighborhoods in Pittsburgh gained definition as churches, synagogues and temples were built, shops were opened and local restaurants offered a taste of their homeland.

The restaurants and cuisine in Pittsburgh have become more sophisticated, easily competitive with cities nationwide. The city's award-winning chefs, new restaurant concepts and suppliers have moved the restaurant scene forward with fresh ingredients from locally grown, locally raised goods. In Pittsburgh, farm-to-table is not just a saying, it's a way of life.

If you can't decide what to eat or where to go, 'Burgh Bits and Bites offers food tours to help you move beyond the downtown area into the local neighborhoods in search of fabulous foods.
And, don't forget while you're here to try two of the many iconic Pittsburgh foods…Heinz Ketchup and the Primanti Brothers sandwich, an entire meal of meat, cheese, coleslaw and french fries stacked between two thick slices of fresh Italian bread, was created to feed hungry truck drivers while their trucks were unloaded in the Strip District.